UNLIKE OTHER children his age, 20-month-old Nilesh Ramesh Savalkar of Patiya village in Amravati district of Maharshtra has not learnt to run around the house or grab for things. Instead, he sleeps most of the day and complains of a persistent pain in legs and joints. Nilesh’s mother fervently prays for his recovery. His father though is indifferent, calling his condition a typical case of sukhti that will go away with time. Sukhti is a severe form of malnutrition in which the child develops “acute muscle wasting” that eventually affects growth and development.
Cases of malnutrition are not new to Amravati. The burden is particularly high in the blocks of Dharni and Chikhaldhara that are part of Melghat region, a difficult to reach hilly, forest area inhabited by tribal communities. Chronic malnutrition and child mortality rate from the region had prompted the Maharashtra government in 2013-14 to introduce a slew of measures, including a three-tier system, to improve nutrition status of children. Apart from the anganwadis or rural child care centres that are present in every village under the Centre’s Integrated Child Development Services and provide nutrition supplements to children and monitor their growth, the state has set up 24,167 nutrition rehabilitation centres (NRCS ) and village council of development committees (VCDCS ). While NRCS ensure proper food to children with severe acute malnutrition, monitor their height and weight, and counsel caregivers on nutrition; VCDCS focus on rehabilitation by admitting such children to monitor food uptake.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 01, 2021 من Down To Earth.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 01, 2021 من Down To Earth.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
